HSBC fires 6 employees for creating mock Islamic State beheading video

HSBC authorities described the video as “abhorrent” and claims to have sacked the employees as soon as the news came to their attention.

HSBC fired six employees on Tuesday for posting a mock Islamic State-style beheading video on Instagram, according to news reports. According to the Guardian, a bank spokesperson said, “We took the decision to sack the individuals involved… This is an abhorrent video and HSBC would like to apologise for any offence caused.”

The video, which was reportedly made during a team-building day had five members in balaclavas, with the sixth on his knees in an orange jumpsuit.  According to The Sun newspaper, which first posted the video on their site, one of the men holds a hanger as a pretend-knife and imitates the Islamic State group beheadings.

One of them allegedly shouts “Allahu Akbar” during the short footage.

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The video, which has now been taken off Instagram, makes a mockery of the various beheading videos released by Islamic State.

In some of the more infamous videos, ISIS had executed US journalist James Foley, UK aid worker David Cawthorne, British aid worker David Haines and in one gruesome video had even brunt Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh alive.